


Phantom Pleasure

by diamondforger



Category: Kamen Rider (1971)
Genre: Cyborg Dysphoria, M/M, Polyamory, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:53:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24839479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diamondforger/pseuds/diamondforger
Summary: A near death experience and a case of mistaken identity leads to a new relationship and new hope.
Relationships: Hongo Takeshi/Taki Kazuya, Hongo Takeshi/Taki Kazuya/Ichimonji Hayato (mentioned)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Phantom Pleasure

Taki was too reckless sometimes. A lot of times, if Hongo was being honest. It was helpful usually. One couldn't fight against an enemy as powerful as Shocker without a little recklessness.

But he touched recklessly too. After being turned into a cyborg, it'd taken months for Hongo to feel comfortable touching people again. Human bodies seemed so fragile to him now, even the smallest mistake could end with a bruise or a broken bone. It'd taken even longer to make holding back look effortless. 

Taki had no such qualms. He was constantly touching and grabbing and holding. It wasn't bad, but it was frustrating. 

There were days when Taki pressed a little too close, his hands so casual on Hongo's shoulders and his waist. Days when Taki would smile so bright and warm that Hongo couldn't stop thinking about kissing him. There were nights when they couldn't get home after a battle and Hongo was so tired and would it really be so bad just to crawl into bed with his friend. 

No, it would be bad. Even if Taki had any interest, it would only be yet another thing for Shocker to use against them. Taki had been hurt enough as it was, there was no reason to make it worse. 

It would only make it worse. 

That's what Hongo repeated to himself as he dragged a barely conscious Taki into the hotel lobby. Poison, again. Whatever it was, it was working fast. Too fast to study or test. Taki had a couple of hours at best. He was burning up as he clutched at Hongo with an increasingly weak grip. 

There were suspicious glances as Hongo tried to get a room, but they were both practiced at this. A smile, a wink, and a vague joke about his friend not being able to hold his liquor. It didn't matter that Taki didn't even look drunk. His eyes were red, his fale was pale, and he was starting to shake even as he got even hotter. 

The shaking only grew worse when they got to the room. Hongo did his best to wrap Taki in every blanket he could find, but it didn't seem to do anything. Taki was grabbing at him, pulling him closer, eyes barely open. 

"Please, I'm so cold, and you're so warm, Hongo." Taki was staring up at Hongo, barely seeming to see him.

There was that selfish urge again. Hongo wished he could just lie down and hold Taki until everything passed. But it wouldn't pass. Every moment he spent trying to comfort Taki was another moment closer to the man's death.

Still, it would feel cruel to leave after doing nothing. It was just common decency to try and wipe the worst of the sweat off Taki's face. Maybe it was a little more than decency when he pushed the hair off Taki's forehead, and let his hand rest on Taki's cheek. 

There was a nagging fear. The fear that this time would be the time he fail, that he'd come back to find he was too late and that Taki was...

No, it wasn't the time for those thoughts. 

"I'll be back soon," Hongo said, dabbing a some more sweat from Taki's brow, "Just stay put and don't do anything stupid."

Taki laughed weakly, a delirious grin crossing his face as his eyes fluttered shut. 

Not even a smart comment or an attempt to get back to into the fight, this really was dire. There was no time to lose. 

...

Solo fights were always the worst. The monster had gone down, but it hadn't been easy. The poisonous spurs that had taken Taki down hadn't been nearly sharp enough to pierce Hongo's armor, but they'd hit hard enough that could barely limp back to his bike. The ride back to the hotel was slow and he could barely keep his eyes open.

Hongo wished he had time to test the vial of what he hoped was an antidote. It was risky, if he was wrong Taki would die. Taki would also die before they could get back to the lab. If they could even get back without Hongo crashing the bike from sheer exhaustion. 

There wasn't a better option. 

The hotel room was dark and Taki hadn't moved. Despair and fear caught in Hongo's chest and for a moment he believed he failed. His thoughts raced as he thought through all the things he'd have to do. Telling the rest of the club, telling the FBI. Would he have to find Taki's family and tell them as well? Would they blame him for Taki's death? It was his fault after all. Taki wouldn't have been there if not for Hongo. He was only hit because Hongo wasn't doing his job well enough. 

His fears were cut short as Taki shifted in the bed, flinching away from the light of the hallway. 

Hongo was across the room instantly, pulling Taki into his arms. The fever had only gotten worse and Taki was to weak to even shake anymore. The whole room stank of sweat, but Hongo was far too relieved to care.

"Have you come to save me?" Taki's voice was soft and he was limp as his head pressed against Hongo's shoulder. Even in his state, he was managing a small smile. 

Hongo nodded, bringing the vial to Taki's lips. The man swallowed the contents without question, eyes closing as some of the liquid dribbled from the corners of his mouth. When he was done, Taki went limp again.

Hongo's heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest as he held Taki's face waiting for some sign that it'd worked. The silence of the room was deafening as he noted that Taki's fever seemed to be dissipating and his breathing was slowing. It was an improvement, but the man's face was still pale and his body shook as he shifted in Hongo's arms, pressing against his chest. Taki didn't react when Hongo tried to shake him awake, calling his name. 

Hongo knew there wasn't much he could do at this point, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. There was an all too nagging fear that if he left, even for a moment, Taki wouldn't be there when he came back. 

Not to mention, the exhaustion was finally taking over. Hongo's whole body felt heavy as he shifted Taki's body in his arms. He shouldn't sleep, not until he was sure his partner was okay, but he could rest his eyes for a moment. 

...

When Hongo opened his eyes, Taki’s face filled his vision. It took a moment for him to remember everything that had happened. The monster, the poison, waiting for Taki to wake up. 

The morning sun was streaming through the window, lighting up Taki's sleeping face. It was paler than usual but otherwise nothing like the death pallor of the previous day. The fever was gone, but they were both uncomfortably damp with sweat. 

They'd clearly shifted in the night, but Taki was still wrapped in Hongo's arms. Which was enough to make Hongo felt guilty. What would have happened if the nightmares had come and he'd lashed out in his sleep? The last nightmare had ended with him waking up with his fist buried in the wall. He couldn't even think about what would have happened if there had been a person there. 

Luckily, there'd been no nightmares this time, but he shouldn't stay like this. He should shake Taki awake and explain the whole thing. Hongo couldn’t bring himself to do it. He’d was too distracted by studying the details of Taki’s face. The man was somehow even more handsome up close, especially when his face was relaxed in sleep.

The stare seemed to be enough to wake Taki. He didn't open his eyes, but he shifted, hands sliding down Hongo's back. If he was surprised by the situation, he didn't show it. “When did you get back, Rider?” Taki mumbled, as he pressed against Hongo, grinning sleepily.

Hongo couldn’t even form an answer before Taki’s lips were on his. It’d been so long since Hongo had kissed anyone. Before Shocker, he’d hadn't had much interest in it. After Shocker, he’d been too scared to try.

Taki’s lips were rough, bearing scars from various fights, but he was so gentle. Hongo was barley able to hold himself back as Taki teased his mouth open slowly. Hongo’s grip tightened, squeezing Taki as tightly as he could safely.

Taki laughed, pulling back a bit. “I missed you,” he said, hand sliding under Hongo’s shirt, tracing the line where belt met flesh in a way that sent shocks of pleasure up Hongo's spine.

The sudden warmth against his bare skin was almost enough to distract Hongo from what Taki said. Almost.

“Missed? I didn’t go anywhere.”

Taki froze. His brow creased as he opened his eyes, squinting blearily at Hongo. As the fog of sleep faded from Taki's eyes, his expression turned from confusion to alarm.

“Hongo, I’m sorry... I thought...”

There was a harsh pain in Hongo's chest as he pulled away from Taki. “You thought I was Hayato,” He said as he stumbled out of he bed. “I didn’t realize you two...”

How could he have missed that? Of course they were together, he’d seen the way they looked at each other. And now he’d made a move that would almost certainly make them both loose trust in him.

“I didn’t want it to come up like this,” Taki said, reaching out for Hongo, who dodged the motion, “Hongo...”

“We should head back.” Tears were starting to form in Hongo’s eyes and he quickly wiped them away. He could excuse the redness as general tiredness. “I’ll shower first.”

Hongo bolted for the bathroom before Taki could say anything else. Even the coldest water couldn't erase the lingering feeling of Taki’s warmth. Hongo wished he could stay in the water until he’d calmed down, but after several minutes there didn’t seem to be any end in sight. Why hadn't he pulled away as soon as he woke up? He didn't know how he'd been able to work with Taki after this. Not now that he knew how good kissing him felt and how gentle his hands were. 

At least the shower made him feel cleaner. It was little consolation considering he he had to immediately put back on his dirty, sweat soaked clothes. Still an improvement, but the damp clothes only made him more eager to get home.

He couldn’t even make eye contact with Taki as they switched places. The room felt oddly quiet with only the sound of the shower as Hongo paced anxiously. He just needed to get home so he could think clearly. Now wasn't the time to do anything rash. Luckily, Taki’s showered fast. It was so quick that Hongo barely had his thoughts together when Taki exited the shower in only a towel.

“My clothes are really damp,” he said casually, “It’d been nice if they could fully dry before we go. How much longer do we have this room?”

Hongo barely even processed the question. He’d seen Taki shirtless before. It wasn’t that unusual. But it suddenly seemed far more intimate. Hongo couldn't stop thinking about how badly he wanted to touch and hold again. He'd known it would be a bad idea to act on his feelings, but it felt even worse than he'd expected. 

Taki noticed Hongo's stare. He didn't seem to share Hongo's nerves as he stretched, grimacing as he shifted his shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hongo shifted, staring at the ground as he tried brushing dirt off his pants. He didn't want to until he had his thoughts together, but he wasn't sure getting his thoughts together was possible at this point. Maybe it would be better to get it over with. 

"Just so you know. What happened, it's not a problem," Taki said as he approached Hongo, "My thing with Hayato isn't... strictly speaking, exclusive."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it's hardly an open relationship," Taki's hand came to Hongo's cheek, tilting his face up, "but we both had some interest in someone else, and we came to an agreement... if he was interested..."

Someone else... Taki couldn't mean. Both of them interested in him? Hongo could barely believe that, but as he searched Taki's face, it was hard to find a different explanation. 

"What if he was interested?" he asked quietly, heat rising in his cheeks. 

Taki laughed, his other hand coming to Hongo's hip. "Do you want to find out?"

Hongo swallowed and nodded slightly. Taki's face lit up and he didn't waste a moment pulling Hongo into another kiss. It was slower than the first, Taki was clearly holding back, experimenting with what Hongo was comfortable with.

It was nice, but Hongo wasn't interested in being handled gently. He grabbed Taki's face, hands in his hair as he worried Taki's bottom lip between his teeth. Taki moaned into the kiss, hands roaming over Hongo's chest, undoing the buttons on his shirt and pushing it off.

They tumbled back onto the bed as the kiss grew even more frantic. Hongo let himself be pinned against the mattress as Taki straddled him, hands wandering over his chest. It'd been so long since Hongo had let anyone touch him and Taki's hands were firm and confident as they kissed. 

Hongo went limp under the touches as Taki's mouth moved to his neck. 

"I've wanted this for so long, Takeshi," Taki murmured as he ground against Hongo. 

Hongo bit back a whimper as he grabbed Taki's hips. His whole body was aching with need he hadn't felt since waking up in his changed body. He hadn't spared much thought for how it would even work. He knew they were about to hit a wall, but he didn't want to stop yet. 

Taki hands wandered down to Hongo's belt. Feather light touches over the edge of the belt made Hongo squirm, breath coming in short pants. He'd never messed with that part of his body, he tried not to think too much about the unnatural way the metal fused with his skin, but Taki seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Hongo wanted to ask if he'd learned that from Hayato, but the words weren't forming. Instead, Hongo grabbed Taki's hair, trying to pull him back into a kiss. 

Taki cried out, head jerking back sharply. 

Hongo let go, hands dropping down to the mattress. For all his vigilance, it'd only taken a couple moments of passion to forgot his strength. 

"Sorry, I lost control for a moment."

Taki laughed, taking Hongo's hand and guiding it back to his hair. "No, I liked that. Do it more."

Hongo gave an experimental tug and Taki made a soft noise, rocking against him. "That's good. You can go much harder than that. I'm not fragile."

Hongo wanted to point out that Taki was very fragile compared to him, but he was far to occupied with watching Taki as he rocked against Hongo, head thrown back, eyes closed. 

Maybe he could try a little roughness. Hongo grabbed Taki, flipping him over and pinning him down easily. Taki squirmed under him as Hongo reached down to yank the towel away. 

Taki was already hard as Hongo's hand wrapped around his shaft, touches gentle and teasing as he buried his face in Taki's neck. 

Taki moaned loudly as Hongo scrapped his teeth against the base of his throat. "You can bite," he whimpered as he rocked against Hongo, "Don't worry about leaving marks."

Hongo obliged. He grabbed at Taki's hair forcing the man's head back to get better access to his neck. He was too nervous to bite hard, but he took his time to ensure there'd be several noticeable marks over Taki's neck and chest as he stroked his cock. Taki writhed and whimpered under him hands scrambling over Hongo's back. 

"Please..." Taki begged as he latched onto Hongo, "I want you inside me."

Hongo tensed. So he hadn't noticed when they'd been grinding earlier. It was too late to stop and explain. Taki was shaking under him, crying out as he came. Hongo backed away for a moment, taking in the sight of Taki lying limp in the bed. The man sighed contentedly, bright smile lighting up his face as he looked up at Hongo. 

"I guess it's my turn now." Taki barely needed a moment to recover before he moved on to undoing Hongo's pants. 

Hongo flinched away, grabbing Taki's hands. "Wait!"

Concern crossed Taki's face as Hongo looked away.

"Shocker..." Hongo had never really talked about it before, he hadn't really wanted to. He still didn't want to. 

"If it makes you feel better, I've already seen what Shocker did to Hayato," Taki said quietly, "I won't freak out, I promise."

Hongo let go of Taki’s hands and let the man undo his pants. Taki’s face fell as he slid his hand in between Hongo's legs to find only smooth skin with texture closer to the Rider's armor than human flesh. The area wasn’t entirely numb, but the sensation were muted.

Hongo had secretly hoped that the touch of someone else would feel different. After all, Taki's hands had felt so good everywhere else. 

Those hopes proved useless. The only thing Hongo felt was frustration as his body screamed for a sensation he could no longer experience. He let out a whimper as Taki pressed against him experimentally. 

Taki sucked in a breath. “Does this feel good?"

Hongo shook his head. Physically, it felt like nothing, but he could clearly remember the way his body had felt before Shocker. He picture with frustrating clarity how his body should have been reacting to being touched like this. If he closed his eyes he could imagine the sensation of Taki's hand wrapping around his shaft. He could almost feel himself getting hard, but he knew that was all in his head. 

He'd experienced a lot of emotions about his new body: anger, despair, frustration. This was new. There was a hunger curling under his stomach that was quickly becoming unbearable. He was so close to finally feeling something, but it was just out of reach. 

"What can I do?" Taki asked, fingers still exploring the area. "How do you get off now?"

"I don't." Hongo rocked against Taki's hand. It didn't help, but he felt like he needed to do something. "I can't. I've tried."

Taki pulled his hand away, eyes wide. "Are you sure? I can try..."

"It won't work."

Hongo could barely focus now. He'd gotten so worked up and now there was nothing he could do. He buried his face in his hands, trying to calm himself. The arousal had taken a sharp, painful edge. It was almost enough to make him regret this whole thing. 

"Hey, it's okay." Taki wrapped Hongo in a warm hug. "Let's go home and we can talk about it more there." 

"What is there to talk about?" Hongo asked with a long sigh. Even if sex wouldn't work, he was at least glad to have Taki by his side. Just being held was nice. 

"Did you know Hayato made alterations to his body?"

Hongo glanced up in confusion. He'd never heard the man make any mention of that. "What kind?"

Taki let out a nervous laugh. "I didn't ask, but... let's just say he doesn't have the same problem you do."

Hongo looked at Taki. It hadn't even occurred to him that he could reverse and of the changes Shocker made. The idea made the phantom ache in his groin throb. It was almost too much to hope. 

"I think you should ask him about that directly," Taki said, poking Hongo's forehead pointedly, "Use that physic connection thing you two have."

Taki jumped out of bed, busying himself with cleaning hismelf off and getting dressed as Hongo nervously reached out. Even halfway across the world, he could feel Hayato mind loud and clear. 

He hesitated, unsure of what he even wanted to say. Luckily, Hayato seemed to understand, answering before Hongo could form the question. 

_Finally. You know, it would have been a lot easier if you'd asked me this when I was still in Japan._


End file.
